H.A. Larson's Blog, page 45
July 19, 2017
Basic Financial Fitness: Adopting a Smart Money Mindset
Recently, I talked about how there's no financial advice out there for regular folks. I've decided, then, to start giving out the wisdom that I've learned over the years. No, I'm not an expert, but I am a regular person with not a lot in disposable income; who still lives largely paycheck to paycheck; and who has spent a nice chunk of their adult life making stupid money choices and fumbling around. Out of necessity and a sheer determination, I set about learning how to control my finances and stop letting my finances control me. Over the years, then, I've looked to the internet, books, and even friends, to help me navigate my way through, but have found advice for the Middle-to-Poor Class (i.e. regular folks) of people to be completely lacking.
So, while I'm no expert, I've gotten really good at managing my money, and I have started learning how to invest for my future. If you want some commonsense advice for managing money as a regular poor to lower middle-class person, and even beyond, I'll give you my two cents. (If you want to know more about me as a person and what I do, head over to my "About Me" page.) Here then is a new blog series I'm starting called Basic Financial Fitness to help people like myself using what I've learned.
Where do we start? Here: the first thing one needs to do if they want to start learning the money basics is to adopt a smart money mindset. How do you do that? Keep reading.
Adopting a Smart Money Mindset
1. Do not spend more than you make.
This seems like a no-brainer, right? Well, it's the simple truth. If you spend more money than you make, you're going to have money issues almost immediately. They say money is the root of all evil, but that's a lie. Spending more money than you make is the root of all evil. This is how massive debt is accumulated, and to say it's a problem is an understatement. For example: the average American household debt (including home mortgages) is $135,924 as of December 2016. The average household credit card debt for the same time period is $16,425. That's insanity!
2. Don't spend your money before it gets here.
Do not plan out all the cool things you want to buy and fun activities you want to do before your paycheck even arrives. In fact, don't even think about your paycheck until the day it hits your bank account. The reason? It's easy to slack off on your bills if you have all these things you want to purchase with your "next paycheck". Regular folks like us don't have much, if any at times, disposable income, so to start spending it before it arrives is not only dumb, but irresponsible.
3. Own up to your debts.
This can be a hard one for people. You might have one or two, or even more, little bills floating around out there that need to be taken care of. For example: that $40 co-pay at the doctor's office, or a $120 final bill from a daycare that you used to take your kid to. Do not ignore these bills! They will no go away if you ignore them, and, oftentimes, it will swell up with interest/late fees and will, eventually, go to collections. You never, ever want bills to go to collections.
4. Adopt a simple method for paying your bills.
Now, I'm not saying you need to come up with some mind-blowing, fantastic budget. Most regular folks, honestly, don't have enough income to budget every aspect of their lives...they just don't. Regular folks need to be able to pay their bills, in full (or on a payment plan) and on time! Leftover money can then be allocated to things like food, gas, and household supplies.
5. Be realistic.
We all have things we want, every single last one of us, but wanting things and being able to afford things we want are two different things. Do not confuse the two. There's a cool tattoo I'd love to get, and I would love to have a new outfit, but I need to put food in the fridge and I really need electricity.
6. Get organized.
The best way to get your financial house in order is to keep order. Get organized with your bills and stay organized. It's the best way to keep track of your finances.
7. You don't have to spend money to have a good time
This right here is one of the biggest barriers for people, especially regular folks, to getting their finances on track. We've been inundated and raised in a consumer culture and, because of it, we feel that we need to spend money to have fun. Look around you...everything costs money. Furthermore, a direct result of this consumer culture has led us to feel entitled. We feel we're entitled to that outfit, that meal out (even if it's cheap, then we'll really justify it), or that evening out with friends. I'm here to tell you no, no you're not. You work to subsist (unless you've got lots of disposable income) and put away a bit of savings every time your paycheck rolls around. Unless you make tons of money, get over it. I can't tell you how many times I've heard someone say that they can't afford to save money but yet they go out and spend money constantly whether it be eating out, grabbing a cup of coffee, buying a CD, or a new outfit. Americans spend roughly 43% of their income on eating out! "Well, I only spent $3 on this meal at the Bell, and I deserve it for working." Yeah, and that's money in addition to your groceries and it still costs more, dollar for dollar, than if you made it at home. If you don't get this sentiment of spend, spend, spend out of your mind...you'll always have financial troubles.
So, how can you deal with the aforementioned points?
1. Get real about your finances and your spending habits. The easiest way to do this is to spend a week keeping track of the money you spend everyday. Keep all your receipts, log them in a notebook, and tally them up at the end of every day. Tally them up again at the end of the week and see where your money has gone. I guarantee you'll be quite surprised, and that you'll see where you can save money. The goal here is to live below your means while still being responsible.
2 & 4. (These two go hand in hand.) When your paycheck hits your bank...that's when you sit down and pay your bills. I highly suggest using the Budget Folder method I talked about back in October. It's detailed and a great way to pay bills when you live paycheck to paycheck.
3. Understand that your debts aren't going to go away. They just aren't. So, the sooner you accept them and formulate a plan to pay them, the better off you'll be. I work in the financial world, and I can tell you with all certainty that any payment is better than no payment. If you have to, make a $5 payment every month on something rather than ignore it. $5 isn't much to part with and it will keep collections from happening. Best of all, it -will- pay your bill eventually.*
5. Have an honest conversation with yourself, and the people you share a life with if applicable. What do your finances look like? Do you want to get in control of them? Where do you see yourself in five years? How do I turn this around?
6. Get organized! Again, you can refer to my Budget Folder method, or adopt one of your own, but get your finances organized. Even if you just keep a list of your expenses, debts, and necessities...you're making headway!
7. Get this into your head now (and keep it there): IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE TO SPEND MONEY TO HAVE FUN OR FEEL ALIVE THEN YOU ARE SCREWED. There are a million and one ways to have fun that cost nothing - or very little - that there's no reason to get trapped into spending money (this is another future post I'll make). I know this one is hard, especially if you have friends that are always asking you to do things that cost money, or if you feel left out because other people are doing things that cost money and, while you want to as well, can't afford it. Sometimes it's better to be honest with other people & yourself and say, "Not this time. We're/I'm trying to save money and/or get my finances on track. Have fun though!" I've done this before. I'll usually make excuses (there's nothing wrong with this if you don't want to admit you're broke), but sometimes you really do have to be honest. Honesty is better than going out with friends instead of paying rent/electricity bill/debt that needs to be paid off.
This is just a foundation for learning financial fitness for regular folks. In coming posts on this topic, I'll cover things like credit cards, having fun for next to no money, and saving on a shoestring. Until then, have a great week!
-H.A.
*I don't recommend paying $5 a month on debts as a standard, but it will do when you're already squeezing as much out of a dollar as you can. Also, this does NOT apply to credit card bills. This blog runs off the assumption that most regular folks don't use credit cards. That's not to say that regular folks don't use credit cards, it's just not as common. I WILL cover credit cards in another post down the road sometime, but this is not that post. Let's get the financial basics in order first. :)
My latest book, The Box, is available through different retailers for $3.99! If you like short, campy, horror books, you will love The Box!
Pick it up by following this link: The Box by H.A. Larson
For information on my other books, link up to my Pronoun Author Page.
July 17, 2017
Remembering Ireland: Bunratty Castle Folk Park & Medieval Feaste
Good morning, and welcome back to Monday! As has been the case with the past several Mondays, I'm posting another installment of Remembering Ireland. This time, I'm showcasing Bunratty Castle Folk Park and the Medieval Feaste. Let's get started!
After spending the morning in Limerick going to the Hunt Museum, St. Mary's Cathedral, and then getting lunch at the Locke Bar, we took a cab to Grange Henge (which will have it's own post next week). After spending a bit of time there, we then took a cab to Bunratty Castle Folk Park.
Bunratty Castle Folk Park is comprised of Bunratty Castle and it's village, all contained within stone walls, in the village of Bunratty. The original site is estimated in the 900s, while the first castle was erected around 1251. The current Bunratty Castle was built by the MacNamara family around 1425. I was told that back in the day, villages would grow up around castles, whose nobility/royalty would then protect the inhabitants behind it's walled-in borders. Today, it's been reconstructed, but you get a taste of what life would have been like back in the day. There are traditional Irish homes, fancy homes, an entire downtown, animals, ponds, fields, a church, and, of course, the big castle.
One of the old Irish homes that sits on the property.
A look inside the home.
A view into the doorway of the Tea Room.
Old chicken coops.
A view downtown.
Along the other side of downtown. As a side note, all the little shops are still in use, but they are for artisans and craftsmen to sell their wares. I got some ceramic earrings, wine stopper, and choker from the potter.
Some of the animals that live at the folk park, these are deer.
One of the fancier homes of the park.
A view inside.
One of the many idyllic walkways of the park.
A view as you enter the castle grounds from the doorway. You can spend a day visiting the park and looking into the castle, but after around 4 p.m. they close the castle to park visitors to get ready for the Medieval Feast. The Feast is an authentic dining experience complete with period tradition, food, dinnerware, and entertainment.
A view down into the dining hall of the castle. I had purchased the Medieval Feast tickets before we even left the states. You all know how much I love medieval stuff, so I wasn't going to miss this event! We spent our time waiting for the feast by visiting the rest of the Folk Park, which was lots of fun.
We were all led to the top floor of the castle when we arrived for the Feast. This is the reception hall which was adorned in the Medieval style. We were serenaded by harp & violin while drinking meade and eating salted pieces of bread, a traditional hors devours back in the day.
A better view of our pre-dinner entertainment.
My best friend Keith at the banquet table. After reception, we were led down to the dining hall where they sat all guests across from one another to allow you to see each other better, and to get to know the people beside you.
Throughout the four-course meal, we were serenaded by different entertainers who sang, cracked jokes, and played instruments. The feast always crowns a lord and lady of the Castle for the evening, and this night they chose a couple celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary from the U.S.
One of the highlights of the evening was when they grabbed a random American from the audience, and claimed he was a 'thief'. He was told to sing as his punishment, and so he started singing "Take Me out to the Ballgame" at which time everyone joined in. It was a fantastic time and I hope you can experience something like it one day.
As we left the Feast, we were treated to bagpipes. I love bagpipes!
A view of Bunratty Castle from outside the walls. You can see the phone box and Durty Nelly's pub. We stopped in there for a drink afterwards.
Bunratty Castle Folk Park is run by the Shannon Heritage Foundation, the same Foundation that runs the other castles we saw in Ireland (this was the last one we actually went into). For more information and to reserve tickets, visit the Bunratty website.
After spending the morning in Limerick going to the Hunt Museum, St. Mary's Cathedral, and then getting lunch at the Locke Bar, we took a cab to Grange Henge (which will have it's own post next week). After spending a bit of time there, we then took a cab to Bunratty Castle Folk Park.
Bunratty Castle Folk Park is comprised of Bunratty Castle and it's village, all contained within stone walls, in the village of Bunratty. The original site is estimated in the 900s, while the first castle was erected around 1251. The current Bunratty Castle was built by the MacNamara family around 1425. I was told that back in the day, villages would grow up around castles, whose nobility/royalty would then protect the inhabitants behind it's walled-in borders. Today, it's been reconstructed, but you get a taste of what life would have been like back in the day. There are traditional Irish homes, fancy homes, an entire downtown, animals, ponds, fields, a church, and, of course, the big castle.
One of the old Irish homes that sits on the property.
A look inside the home.
A view into the doorway of the Tea Room.
Old chicken coops.
A view downtown.
Along the other side of downtown. As a side note, all the little shops are still in use, but they are for artisans and craftsmen to sell their wares. I got some ceramic earrings, wine stopper, and choker from the potter.
Some of the animals that live at the folk park, these are deer.
One of the fancier homes of the park.
A view inside.
One of the many idyllic walkways of the park.
A view as you enter the castle grounds from the doorway. You can spend a day visiting the park and looking into the castle, but after around 4 p.m. they close the castle to park visitors to get ready for the Medieval Feast. The Feast is an authentic dining experience complete with period tradition, food, dinnerware, and entertainment.
A view down into the dining hall of the castle. I had purchased the Medieval Feast tickets before we even left the states. You all know how much I love medieval stuff, so I wasn't going to miss this event! We spent our time waiting for the feast by visiting the rest of the Folk Park, which was lots of fun.
We were all led to the top floor of the castle when we arrived for the Feast. This is the reception hall which was adorned in the Medieval style. We were serenaded by harp & violin while drinking meade and eating salted pieces of bread, a traditional hors devours back in the day.
A better view of our pre-dinner entertainment.
My best friend Keith at the banquet table. After reception, we were led down to the dining hall where they sat all guests across from one another to allow you to see each other better, and to get to know the people beside you.
Throughout the four-course meal, we were serenaded by different entertainers who sang, cracked jokes, and played instruments. The feast always crowns a lord and lady of the Castle for the evening, and this night they chose a couple celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary from the U.S.
One of the highlights of the evening was when they grabbed a random American from the audience, and claimed he was a 'thief'. He was told to sing as his punishment, and so he started singing "Take Me out to the Ballgame" at which time everyone joined in. It was a fantastic time and I hope you can experience something like it one day.
As we left the Feast, we were treated to bagpipes. I love bagpipes!
A view of Bunratty Castle from outside the walls. You can see the phone box and Durty Nelly's pub. We stopped in there for a drink afterwards.
Bunratty Castle Folk Park is run by the Shannon Heritage Foundation, the same Foundation that runs the other castles we saw in Ireland (this was the last one we actually went into). For more information and to reserve tickets, visit the Bunratty website.
July 15, 2017
Portrait of Omaha: Gerald R. Ford Birthsite
Today's post is another entry in my photography series: Portrait of Omaha. In this series, I showcase a unique or distinct area/place of the city I call home. This entry is about the Gerald R. Ford Birthsite. Gerald R. Ford was the 38th President of the United States, who assumed office in the wake of President Richard Nixon's resignation. Ford had been Nixon's Vice President, so was next in line to assume the Presidency.
He was born in Omaha in 1913, but was only here for the first sixteen days of his life when his mother moved back to her home in Illinois. The large Victorian mansion he was born in was largely destroyed by a fire in 1971, and was razed. The land it had once occupied was purchased by a businessman in 1974, after Ford became President, and the idea for a memorial was hatched. It was dedicated in 1974, with the rose garden - in memorial to First Lady Betty Ford - in 1980. Ford attended the latter dedication personally.
Today, it is home to the Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center (only available by appointment) which is surrounded by beautiful porticos, flower gardens, statues, and an exhibit kiosk.
A statue of Ford. One of his wife is down the walk from his.
A shot from the rose garden down towards the Center.
Coming up on the portico.
A shot of the exhibit kiosk.
A full frontal view of the beautiful portico. The memorial slabs you see list all the Presidents of the United States.
A side view of the portico.
Looking out into the gardens from the portico.
A shot of one of the information buttons at the exhibit kiosk.
If you are ever in Omaha, check out this memorial site. It's an incredibly beautiful and peaceful place to take a stroll and collect one's thoughts. I love to admire the beauty of the design and read for awhile. You'll find it located in the Hanscom Park area. For more information, you can read about it here and here.
My latest book, The Box, is available through different retailers for $3.99! If you like short, campy, horror books, you will love The Box!
Pick it up by following this link: The Box by H.A. Larson
For information on my other books, link up to my Pronoun Author Page.
He was born in Omaha in 1913, but was only here for the first sixteen days of his life when his mother moved back to her home in Illinois. The large Victorian mansion he was born in was largely destroyed by a fire in 1971, and was razed. The land it had once occupied was purchased by a businessman in 1974, after Ford became President, and the idea for a memorial was hatched. It was dedicated in 1974, with the rose garden - in memorial to First Lady Betty Ford - in 1980. Ford attended the latter dedication personally.
Today, it is home to the Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center (only available by appointment) which is surrounded by beautiful porticos, flower gardens, statues, and an exhibit kiosk.
A statue of Ford. One of his wife is down the walk from his.
A shot from the rose garden down towards the Center.
Coming up on the portico.
A shot of the exhibit kiosk.
A full frontal view of the beautiful portico. The memorial slabs you see list all the Presidents of the United States.
A side view of the portico.
Looking out into the gardens from the portico.
A shot of one of the information buttons at the exhibit kiosk.
If you are ever in Omaha, check out this memorial site. It's an incredibly beautiful and peaceful place to take a stroll and collect one's thoughts. I love to admire the beauty of the design and read for awhile. You'll find it located in the Hanscom Park area. For more information, you can read about it here and here.
My latest book, The Box, is available through different retailers for $3.99! If you like short, campy, horror books, you will love The Box!
Pick it up by following this link: The Box by H.A. Larson
For information on my other books, link up to my Pronoun Author Page.
July 14, 2017
Coffee Talk: Financial Fitness, Iron Maiden, and Other Stuff
Good morning and Happy Friday! Have you got your cup of coffee? I got my fresh, hot cup right here, so let's get started.
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First up, financial fitness. Recently, I talked about how finding commonsense financial advice for regular folks is lacking. All the advice I find is geared towards people who have disposable income and are in a higher income bracket. There's virtually nothing out there for regular folks who need some guidance and basic financial strategies. I've decided then to start dispensing my own advice for us regular folks...those of us without disposable income (or very little of it anyway) who just need the basics on how to spend less, save more, and learn some good, useful tips for everyday life. Look for that next week!
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Another thing I've talked about before is my love of heavy metal music. I acquired it when I was 14 years old through an introduction to Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. I've never been able to see either band play live unfortunately...until now! Tuesday night, my husband and I drove to Kansas City -- where we met up with my friend Audrey -- and went to see Iron Maiden's Book of Souls tour. It was awesome! Time hasn't slowed these guys down one bit! I swear though, taking photos at concerts is much more difficult than you would think. I will have to clean up a few and post it, we shall see. At any rate, the band was amazing live and it was probably one of my top 5 concerts of all time, although I might be a bit biased.
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I haven't worked on my latest book in a week, and I'm fine with that. I hadn't planned on starting it so soon, but I had some momentary energy related to the development of the characters and story that I went ahead and got going. I'm taking my time to develop my characters well and figure out their place in their world. I want this to be a killer book, and am not pushing myself too hard with it. I'm also busy with other responsibilities in my life that it's best that I don't get too heavily involved with it at the moment. All in good time!
I've talked a lot in the past about my road to being healthier, but I have to admit that I probably gained back ten pounds...okay, okay, I admit it outright! It's so difficult in my desk job to stay on track as it's easy to munch at my desk and my coworkers are constantly bringing in junk food. The best way, still to this day, is to watch your calories and get regular exercise. A week ago, I started minding my calories -- not rigidly, but just enough to get myself on board with the idea mentally -- and it was helpful. This week, I downloaded the myfitnesspal app on my phone, an app I've used in the past. I prefer this app over the one already in my phone because I can access it through a laptop as well, making it easier to enter in your own recipes instead of trying to figure out all the ingredients and amounts in a single serving of some dish I made. I gave myself a bit of a cheat day yesterday, but still stayed below my normal calories, and so today I go in full force. I'm determined, especially now that I'm older, to get myself into good shape for my later years.
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I'm done with my coffee and it's time to get ready to go to work. I'm excited for the weekend as I have an old, dear friend coming to visit tonight. She has a conference across the river and I offered to let her spend the night here. It will be nice to catch up. This weekend I have a bunch of work to complete, but I'm hoping to get out and about a bit, especially tonight. I'll keep you posted!
My latest book, The Box, is available through different retailers for $3.99! If you like short, campy, horror books, you will love The Box!
Pick it up by following this link: The Box by H.A. Larson
For information on my other books, link up to my Pronoun Author Page.
July 13, 2017
My Wednesday Post on Thursday
Good morning! So, I'm sure you noticed that my usual Wednesday post never came. There's a reason, of course! I drove down to Kansas City Tuesday afternoon to attend the Iron Maiden concert and stayed overnight in a hotel there. I originally was not going to work on Wednesday, but my coworker managed to get a hard-to-get MRI scheduled for that afternoon, so I agreed to come in and work the afternoon so she could go. Compromise folks! It all works out in the end. Anyway, with having to get up early yesterday, get ready for work, and drive three hours to make it home in time to go to work but a kabosh on my ability to post yesterday! No worries, I'll be back at my regularly scheduled time tomorrow where I'll share a few pics of the concert.
-H.A.
July 10, 2017
Remembering Ireland: The Hunt Museum & St. Mary's Cathedral
Good morning and Happy Monday! Monday means it's time for the fourth installment of my Remembering Ireland series, and this one is about Limerick, Day Two. Enjoy!
After concluding our first evening in Limerick by going to the Gate Bar (hi Peggy!), we woke up on the second day in Limerick happy that we had a day off from traveling. We got ready and ventured forth, ready to see what Limerick had in store for us. We made our way to a vegan/vegetarian cafe across from The Hunt Museum called Bubble Tea Paradise. This was when I was eating vegan a few times a week, and I was hoping to find a good vegan meal. This was the first place I actively sought out vegan fare, and I was pleasantly surprised with their amazing menu. I've since read that they've closed down.
A photo of their menu. We had breakfast but that lentil burger looks particularly delicious.
After breakfast, we walked right across the street to The Hunt Museum. The museum was created out of the large private collection of the Hunt family, and is on the site of a former customs house.
There are a few floors to explore, including the basement, and there are works from every era. It's on par with every major museum I have been to, it's just on a smaller scale than some.
A view down one of the staircases between floors.
Some old sculptures.
Down in the basement were the religious artifacts. Here's a triptych, one of my favorite kinds of antique art.
After a pleasant visit to The Hunt Museum, we walked down the road to St. Mary's Cathedral. Another impressive structure, this one was built in 1168 and has a cemetery on the grounds.
While not a religious person myself, I did get my B.A. in Religious Studies, so I find religious history and artifacts to be fascinating. I minored in Art History and Archaeology, which extends my love of history all the more.
A closer view of the cemetery.
A view towards the main entrance.
Inside the church. Seeing an ancient cathedral, with all the architectural details that I've studied over the years, was an ethereal experience.
A beautiful stained glass window.
Closer view of the main altar.
Look at how old the writing on the wall is! It's so interesting to see things this old, compared to how old things are here in the States.
Statue of Bishop Jebb framed by another set of beautifully created stained glass windows.
After visiting the Cathedral, we headed over to The Locke Bar where I had a standard Irish meal of bangers and mash. See that potrait on the wall of the gentleman? Imagine my surprise when it started to move, talk, and change! It's actually a kind of advertisement for Guinness, but looks convincingly like a real painting. Anyway, pop in here for a pint and a bite if you're ever in Limerick.
Our day wasn't even over yet at this point as we still hit up Grange Henge and Bunratty Castle. Stay tuned next Monday for that one!
After concluding our first evening in Limerick by going to the Gate Bar (hi Peggy!), we woke up on the second day in Limerick happy that we had a day off from traveling. We got ready and ventured forth, ready to see what Limerick had in store for us. We made our way to a vegan/vegetarian cafe across from The Hunt Museum called Bubble Tea Paradise. This was when I was eating vegan a few times a week, and I was hoping to find a good vegan meal. This was the first place I actively sought out vegan fare, and I was pleasantly surprised with their amazing menu. I've since read that they've closed down.
A photo of their menu. We had breakfast but that lentil burger looks particularly delicious.
After breakfast, we walked right across the street to The Hunt Museum. The museum was created out of the large private collection of the Hunt family, and is on the site of a former customs house.
There are a few floors to explore, including the basement, and there are works from every era. It's on par with every major museum I have been to, it's just on a smaller scale than some.
A view down one of the staircases between floors.
Some old sculptures.
Down in the basement were the religious artifacts. Here's a triptych, one of my favorite kinds of antique art.
After a pleasant visit to The Hunt Museum, we walked down the road to St. Mary's Cathedral. Another impressive structure, this one was built in 1168 and has a cemetery on the grounds.
While not a religious person myself, I did get my B.A. in Religious Studies, so I find religious history and artifacts to be fascinating. I minored in Art History and Archaeology, which extends my love of history all the more.
A closer view of the cemetery.
A view towards the main entrance.
Inside the church. Seeing an ancient cathedral, with all the architectural details that I've studied over the years, was an ethereal experience.
A beautiful stained glass window.
Closer view of the main altar.
Look at how old the writing on the wall is! It's so interesting to see things this old, compared to how old things are here in the States.
Statue of Bishop Jebb framed by another set of beautifully created stained glass windows.
After visiting the Cathedral, we headed over to The Locke Bar where I had a standard Irish meal of bangers and mash. See that potrait on the wall of the gentleman? Imagine my surprise when it started to move, talk, and change! It's actually a kind of advertisement for Guinness, but looks convincingly like a real painting. Anyway, pop in here for a pint and a bite if you're ever in Limerick.
Our day wasn't even over yet at this point as we still hit up Grange Henge and Bunratty Castle. Stay tuned next Monday for that one!
July 8, 2017
A Father's Day Adventure
Good morning, and Happy Saturday! I've had a leisurely morning sleeping in, eating breakfast, and now I'm relaxing here with my cup of coffee. I promised all of you yesterday that today I would talk about our Father's Day adventure in the Iowa Mountains (i.e. the Loess Hills). My husband went back to school full-time, starting this summer, and, as a result, we have to pinch our pennies tighter. While we have all of our bills and necessities covered, disposable income is pretty much at a zero.
Now, if you've been following my blog from the beginning, or even for a good while now, you all know how much I advocate for spending smart and for living well on a smaller income (more on that to come in the following weeks, so stay tuned). I love to live a life of adventure, and I will find a way to make adventure, even with little to no money. Father's Day, then, having no disposable income, I wanted to have a fun adventure that my husband would love regardless of whether we could spend money or not.
I woke everyone up on Father's Day, we cleaned up the house, I packed a nice picnic lunch, and we hit the road for the Iowa Mountains. I thought we should do a little new and a little old, and we did just that.
We took I-29 to Missouri Valley, where we got on the Old Lincoln Highway, an old highway that travels along the Iowa Mountains. Our first stop was in Missouri Valley itself at the City Park. This is a large park, with plenty of things to do for the whole family, and it has a steam train exhibit/museum. We had never been there before, and it was free, so we stopped in. It has a large main room, and a smaller room in back. The smaller room had an entire Christmas town train display! It was so cool and Nature Girl was fascinated.
On display were lots of model trains and pictures of old train stations and old towns in the area.
They even had a little outdoor steam train for the kids, and while we didn't have money for NG to ride it, the conductor invited her to sit in his seat.
After the Watson Steam Train Exhibit we headed on towards the Iowa Mountains. Our next stop was at the Harrison County Historical Village & Iowa Welcome Center. If you ever get a chance, stop here! We've been here a few times before and it's always a great place to go. There's a huge Museum & Visitor's Center where one can see a lot of history of the area as well as stop for a restroom break and some valuable visitor's information. Another cool thing about it is that it has an actual historical village, Loess Hills viewing platform, trails, and covered picnic spots.
We took a trail to the top part of the park where the viewing area is, and gazed out over the lovely Iowa Mountains. We were hungry by this time and went back down, when we were finished, to eat our picnic lunch. After that, we wandered around the historical village.
An old cabin dwelling. This was the only building not open to the public, at least on this day.
The buildings here are actual old buildings that have been moved to this location. One of the buildings is an old general store, and an old sign sits right out front, letting you know how much things cost in 1857. I'm surprised at how expensive the fruit was!
A look inside the General Store where everything is labeled.
A view outside the store looking down past the Cabin and the VC picnic shelter (one of three). The flowers were so pretty.
An old tractor outside the old Schoolhouse.
The old Schoolhouse.
Inside the old Schoolhouse.
After our visit at the Historical Village, we made our way further into the Iowa Mountains, where we stopped at one of our favorite hiking spots: Murray Hill Overlook. This is an unadulterated view of the Iowa Mountains as we walked along the ridges. You can see the well-worn path.
A view down to the Old Lincoln Highway from the ridge. You can see the Iowa Mountains on the left as it curves into the landscape. It was a gorgeous 83 degrees that day, and the visibility was nearly perfect. We were able to see for many miles into the distance.
After a pleasant, non-grueling, walk along the ridges, we made our way to our final stop: Preparation Canyon State Park. We have hiked in a remote area of the Canyon, but had never gone into the actual park area. It was so pretty!
PCSP has a cool overlook which we stopped at. Just look how far you can see across the Iowa Mountains and how gorgeous they are!
My husband had such a wonderful time on Father's Day. He gave me a big hug as we looked out over the Iowa Mountains and told me thank you. We spent only what it cost in gas for the car, and we had a wonderful, fun, adventurous day. I've included links all throughout this blog so you can see more information on where we went, and, if so desired, plan your own little adventure in the Iowa Mountains.
I hope your weekend is great!
-H.A.
My latest book, The Box, is available through different retailers for $3.99! If you like short, campy, horror books, you will love The Box!
Pick it up by following this link: The Box by H.A. Larson
For information on my other books, link up to my Pronoun Author Page.
Now, if you've been following my blog from the beginning, or even for a good while now, you all know how much I advocate for spending smart and for living well on a smaller income (more on that to come in the following weeks, so stay tuned). I love to live a life of adventure, and I will find a way to make adventure, even with little to no money. Father's Day, then, having no disposable income, I wanted to have a fun adventure that my husband would love regardless of whether we could spend money or not.
I woke everyone up on Father's Day, we cleaned up the house, I packed a nice picnic lunch, and we hit the road for the Iowa Mountains. I thought we should do a little new and a little old, and we did just that.
We took I-29 to Missouri Valley, where we got on the Old Lincoln Highway, an old highway that travels along the Iowa Mountains. Our first stop was in Missouri Valley itself at the City Park. This is a large park, with plenty of things to do for the whole family, and it has a steam train exhibit/museum. We had never been there before, and it was free, so we stopped in. It has a large main room, and a smaller room in back. The smaller room had an entire Christmas town train display! It was so cool and Nature Girl was fascinated.
On display were lots of model trains and pictures of old train stations and old towns in the area.
They even had a little outdoor steam train for the kids, and while we didn't have money for NG to ride it, the conductor invited her to sit in his seat.
After the Watson Steam Train Exhibit we headed on towards the Iowa Mountains. Our next stop was at the Harrison County Historical Village & Iowa Welcome Center. If you ever get a chance, stop here! We've been here a few times before and it's always a great place to go. There's a huge Museum & Visitor's Center where one can see a lot of history of the area as well as stop for a restroom break and some valuable visitor's information. Another cool thing about it is that it has an actual historical village, Loess Hills viewing platform, trails, and covered picnic spots.
We took a trail to the top part of the park where the viewing area is, and gazed out over the lovely Iowa Mountains. We were hungry by this time and went back down, when we were finished, to eat our picnic lunch. After that, we wandered around the historical village.
An old cabin dwelling. This was the only building not open to the public, at least on this day.
The buildings here are actual old buildings that have been moved to this location. One of the buildings is an old general store, and an old sign sits right out front, letting you know how much things cost in 1857. I'm surprised at how expensive the fruit was!
A look inside the General Store where everything is labeled.
A view outside the store looking down past the Cabin and the VC picnic shelter (one of three). The flowers were so pretty.
An old tractor outside the old Schoolhouse.
The old Schoolhouse.
Inside the old Schoolhouse.
After our visit at the Historical Village, we made our way further into the Iowa Mountains, where we stopped at one of our favorite hiking spots: Murray Hill Overlook. This is an unadulterated view of the Iowa Mountains as we walked along the ridges. You can see the well-worn path.
A view down to the Old Lincoln Highway from the ridge. You can see the Iowa Mountains on the left as it curves into the landscape. It was a gorgeous 83 degrees that day, and the visibility was nearly perfect. We were able to see for many miles into the distance.
After a pleasant, non-grueling, walk along the ridges, we made our way to our final stop: Preparation Canyon State Park. We have hiked in a remote area of the Canyon, but had never gone into the actual park area. It was so pretty!
PCSP has a cool overlook which we stopped at. Just look how far you can see across the Iowa Mountains and how gorgeous they are!
My husband had such a wonderful time on Father's Day. He gave me a big hug as we looked out over the Iowa Mountains and told me thank you. We spent only what it cost in gas for the car, and we had a wonderful, fun, adventurous day. I've included links all throughout this blog so you can see more information on where we went, and, if so desired, plan your own little adventure in the Iowa Mountains.
I hope your weekend is great!
-H.A.
My latest book, The Box, is available through different retailers for $3.99! If you like short, campy, horror books, you will love The Box!
Pick it up by following this link: The Box by H.A. Larson
For information on my other books, link up to my Pronoun Author Page.
July 7, 2017
Coffee Talk: Being busy, Patreon, and a New Book
Good morning! Have you got your coffee? I do, so let's get started.
It's been a busy few weeks for me. My life is typically pretty busy anyway, but I've taken on some new responsibilities and I've been more involved in things that are important to me....outside of The Write Life that is. Being busy is a blessing and a curse for me. While I thrive in a busy environment, now that I'm older, I also relish in some needed downtime. It's hard to have downtime when you're so busy, but I'm finding a good balance between the two.
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One of the busy things I've been working on is trying to set up a Patreon. While I have heard of Patreon before, I hadn't ever gone and taken much of a look around there. After a couple of people suggested I should look into creating one, I started doing some research and I have to say, I'm pretty keen on the idea. The only thing is, is that (if you know nothing about Patreon) you have to come up with "things" for patrons, and I want to make sure those things are worth the snuff and ample enough to fill the space. I have some pretty good ideas about what I think I'd like to do, but I'm not going to rush to stick mine out there until it's just right. Having said that, please subscribe to my newsletter, or follow me here, to keep informed about this. Patreon is such a cool concept, and I hope I can use it to create a good relationship with my supporters.
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As I've mentioned a couple of times, I've started on my next book. This book will be a bit different in that I'm really taking my time, this time, to develop my characters and set up a framework. I've typically always been a stream of consciousness writer, and while that is still partly true, it's a testament to my growth as a writer that I'm putting together the bits and pieces first. I've written a good amount of the first chapter, and I have a feeling it will be a longer book than my past efforts. It may not though, we'll just have to see how it all develops.
Well, I guess that it's for me on the lovely Friday morning. I'll be posting our Father's Day Adventure in the Iowa Mountains tomorrow, so stay tuned for that. Also, sign up for my newsletter! I send them out a few times a month, and I'll give you juicy tidbits there first, before here, and maybe a bit of extra.
Until tomorrow!
July 5, 2017
Portrait of Omaha: The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge
Good morning! Welcome back to another edition of Portrait of Omaha. If you've seen the previous posts in this series, welcome back, but if you're new here, let me tell you what it is. I live and love Omaha, NE, and last year I started a photoseries where I give you a glimpse of some of the landmarks and interesting places in the city I call home. Today, I'm sharing the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge.
Construction on the bridge began in 2006 and was completed in 2008. The bridge is named after Bob Kerrey, who was the 35th governor of Nebraska and later served as a Senator for the state for many years. It spans 3000 feet across the Missouri River and connects Omaha to Council Bluffs, IA. It also leads to many trails that are in the area. On the grounds of the Omaha side are a splash pad that doubles as an outdoor seating area for music nights, and a visitor's center for the National Park Service. On the Iowa side is Tom Hanafan Park where Loessfest is held every year.
A train trestle bridge off in the background.
As you get on the bridge from the Nebraska side.
Looking south along the Missouri River, you can see one of the sculptures, in orange, of Tom Hanafan Park.
A view, north this time, up the Missouri River.
This line denotes where the two states meet, and is a popular place for people to stop and take a picture.
The National Park Service's Visitor Center. There's fun for the kids inside as well as this cool little garden, replete with sculptures, along the little trail.
The splash pad was the perfect place to cool down on the day we were there. It's where the evening concerts take place as well.
A view of the bridge from afar. You can see the splash pad/concert seating in the foreground and the National Park Service's VC to the right. The structure is as impressive as it is beautiful.
A view of the bridge through the trees. You can also see one of the Visit Omaha blue push pins. These pins are around town and help visitors find sites.
I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into The Bob, as the bridge is fondly known. For more information on the bridge, click here. For more information on the National Park Service Visitor's Center, click here. For more information about the blue push pins, click here. And, finally, for more information about Tom Hanafan Park click here.
My latest book, The Box, is available through different retailers for $3.99! If you like short, campy, horror books, you will love The Box!
Pick it up by following this link: The Box by H.A. Larson
For information on my other books, link up to my Pronoun Author Page.
Construction on the bridge began in 2006 and was completed in 2008. The bridge is named after Bob Kerrey, who was the 35th governor of Nebraska and later served as a Senator for the state for many years. It spans 3000 feet across the Missouri River and connects Omaha to Council Bluffs, IA. It also leads to many trails that are in the area. On the grounds of the Omaha side are a splash pad that doubles as an outdoor seating area for music nights, and a visitor's center for the National Park Service. On the Iowa side is Tom Hanafan Park where Loessfest is held every year.
A train trestle bridge off in the background.
As you get on the bridge from the Nebraska side.
Looking south along the Missouri River, you can see one of the sculptures, in orange, of Tom Hanafan Park.
A view, north this time, up the Missouri River.
This line denotes where the two states meet, and is a popular place for people to stop and take a picture.
The National Park Service's Visitor Center. There's fun for the kids inside as well as this cool little garden, replete with sculptures, along the little trail.
The splash pad was the perfect place to cool down on the day we were there. It's where the evening concerts take place as well.
A view of the bridge from afar. You can see the splash pad/concert seating in the foreground and the National Park Service's VC to the right. The structure is as impressive as it is beautiful.
A view of the bridge through the trees. You can also see one of the Visit Omaha blue push pins. These pins are around town and help visitors find sites.
I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into The Bob, as the bridge is fondly known. For more information on the bridge, click here. For more information on the National Park Service Visitor's Center, click here. For more information about the blue push pins, click here. And, finally, for more information about Tom Hanafan Park click here.
My latest book, The Box, is available through different retailers for $3.99! If you like short, campy, horror books, you will love The Box!
Pick it up by following this link: The Box by H.A. Larson
For information on my other books, link up to my Pronoun Author Page.
July 3, 2017
Remembering Ireland: Limerick and King John's Castle
Good morning! This is Part Three of my photo-series: Remembering Ireland. Today, I'm going to share our first day in Limerick.
We checked out of the North Star in Dublin on Day 2, and walked across the street to Connolly Station where we boarded our train to Limerick. Even though Limerick is on the opposite coast from Dublin, it's less than three hours by train. It was my second experience traveling across country by train (the first was Omaha to Denver via Amtrak), and I have to say...it is far superior to air travel in my opinion. It's comfortable, it has a snack/drink vendor, and wifi. We arrived in Limerick in the early afternoon, where we caught a cab to our hotel: Absolute Hotel & Spa. It was modern in comparison to the North Star, and we got checked in right away. The Absolute sits on the River Abbey which flows into the River Shannon.
We got settled into the hotel and charged our phones before deciding to get out and explore the town. After taking a cab to the hotel, we realized that Limerick was actually pretty small, and getting around on foot was easy (and cheaper!).
We left the hotel and headed in the opposite direction of the train station where we soon saw a sign for King John's Castle, so we decided, "Why not?" and followed the signs there.
This sign outside of the building (which doesn't look as castle-y from the outside entrance) let us know we had arrived. We found out later that the cool picture on this sign was one of many paintings, done by a talented artist, that tell the tale of parts of the Castle's history.
This is one of those aforementioned paintings. I wish now that I had taken a photo of the painting placard so I could share the details.
A closer look.
Built between 1200 - 1212 BCE, King John's Castle was the home of King John, the brother of Richard the Lionheart. Like Malahide Castle, it is owned and operated by the Shannon Heritage Foundation (SHF).
A view from the second floor looking out over the grounds and across the River Shannon.
A view of the outside staircase from over the main doorway.
A view from the topmost part of the Castle looking out over the River Shannon from the other direction.
A view from the turret on the far left, a floor down from the topmost part of the Castle.
A view looking down of the inside staircase. The older castles we went to in Ireland had these kinds of staircases. They are incredibly old -- a fact evidenced by the blackened steps of the staircase. This layer of crud indicates the 800+ years that feet have walked on these stairs.
A view of the outside staircase from the ground.
After our visit to the Castle, we walked through a back alley where we stopped at a local pub called The Cauldron. We had a Guinness and enjoyed the small fireplace that are standard in these old buildings.
Limerick was more intimate to us than Dublin or Galway. We met other American tourists in both of those towns, but we didn't run into another American in Limerick whatsoever. Going to The Cauldron, some out-of-the-way local pub helped lend to this feeling. That's it for Limerick, Day One. I'll have two more installments dealing with Limerick as we saw more things in Limerick -- and the surrounding area -- than any other place we went to in Ireland.
For more information on King John's Castle, follow this link.
See you next Monday for Limerick, Day Two!
We checked out of the North Star in Dublin on Day 2, and walked across the street to Connolly Station where we boarded our train to Limerick. Even though Limerick is on the opposite coast from Dublin, it's less than three hours by train. It was my second experience traveling across country by train (the first was Omaha to Denver via Amtrak), and I have to say...it is far superior to air travel in my opinion. It's comfortable, it has a snack/drink vendor, and wifi. We arrived in Limerick in the early afternoon, where we caught a cab to our hotel: Absolute Hotel & Spa. It was modern in comparison to the North Star, and we got checked in right away. The Absolute sits on the River Abbey which flows into the River Shannon.
We got settled into the hotel and charged our phones before deciding to get out and explore the town. After taking a cab to the hotel, we realized that Limerick was actually pretty small, and getting around on foot was easy (and cheaper!).
We left the hotel and headed in the opposite direction of the train station where we soon saw a sign for King John's Castle, so we decided, "Why not?" and followed the signs there.
This sign outside of the building (which doesn't look as castle-y from the outside entrance) let us know we had arrived. We found out later that the cool picture on this sign was one of many paintings, done by a talented artist, that tell the tale of parts of the Castle's history.
This is one of those aforementioned paintings. I wish now that I had taken a photo of the painting placard so I could share the details.
A closer look.
Built between 1200 - 1212 BCE, King John's Castle was the home of King John, the brother of Richard the Lionheart. Like Malahide Castle, it is owned and operated by the Shannon Heritage Foundation (SHF).
A view from the second floor looking out over the grounds and across the River Shannon.
A view of the outside staircase from over the main doorway.
A view from the topmost part of the Castle looking out over the River Shannon from the other direction.
A view from the turret on the far left, a floor down from the topmost part of the Castle.
A view looking down of the inside staircase. The older castles we went to in Ireland had these kinds of staircases. They are incredibly old -- a fact evidenced by the blackened steps of the staircase. This layer of crud indicates the 800+ years that feet have walked on these stairs.
A view of the outside staircase from the ground.
After our visit to the Castle, we walked through a back alley where we stopped at a local pub called The Cauldron. We had a Guinness and enjoyed the small fireplace that are standard in these old buildings.
Limerick was more intimate to us than Dublin or Galway. We met other American tourists in both of those towns, but we didn't run into another American in Limerick whatsoever. Going to The Cauldron, some out-of-the-way local pub helped lend to this feeling. That's it for Limerick, Day One. I'll have two more installments dealing with Limerick as we saw more things in Limerick -- and the surrounding area -- than any other place we went to in Ireland.
For more information on King John's Castle, follow this link.
See you next Monday for Limerick, Day Two!
